Tag: ireland

EUROPE UKRAINE Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced Tuesday that he will run for reelection in March. The announcement was mostly a foregone conclusion, as is--probably--his eventual defeat. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is considered the favorite according to polling. Poroshenko has of course failed to bring the war in eastern Ukraine to an end and … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: January 29 2019

EUROPE RUSSIA At least ten crew members aboard two ships in the Kerch Strait have died after their vessels caught on fire at sea on Monday. Normally this is not the kind of story we cover here, but it turns out that these deaths were related to US sanctions against Russia and Syria. One of … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: January 22 2019

EUROPE POLAND Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters at a news conference on Friday that he too wants out of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Poland joins the United States, Hungary, and most recently Austria and the Czech Republic in either withdrawing from the accord or expressing an intent to withdraw. SPAIN … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: November 2 2018

ASIA GEORGIA Sunday's Georgian presidential election looks likely to prove indecisive, which means that the top two finishers, Salome Zurabishvili and Grigol Vashadze, will meet in a runoff sometime next month. Zurabishvili is supported by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the wealthiest man in Georgia and the man generally believed to be running the country behind the scenes. … Continue reading World update: October 27-28 2018

EUROPE KOSOVO The Kosovar parliament voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to create a 5000 man standing army (with 3000 reserves) against objections by the country's Serbian minority (whose legislators boycotted the vote), the Serbian government, and NATO, which still has a peacekeeping force there. Kosovo already has a 2500 man security force that this measure would … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: October 18 2018

EUROPE John Feffer puts Donald Trump's eventful European trip in the context of the global Euroskeptic movement: Why on earth would Trump embark on this surrealistic misadventure in foreign policy? True, his first instinct seems to be to disrupt. His statements also reveal his preference for “strong” leaders over “weak.” Perhaps, as some intelligence community … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: July 18-19 2018

G7 Well it seems like the G7 is off to a really productive start. And by that I mean nobody stormed out or declared war on anybody else. That's about all anybody can hope these days. Donald Trump and the other six leaders--each of whom is either pissed at or freaking out over Trump's protectionism--reportedly … Continue reading World update: June 8 2018